Tom Shakespeare

National parks change prioritizes Trump birthday over days honoring Black people Free entrance days at national parks no longer include MLK Day and Juneteenth.

"The Donald Trump administration has changed which holidays qualify for free entrance to national parks, removing two holidays celebrating Black people and adding the president’s birthday."

The hepatitis B vaccine had been recommended for all newborns since 1991.

From 1990-2019, acute hepatitis B infections reported among children and teens fell 99 percent. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/w...

NHS England » Report of the independent ADHD Taskforce: Part 1 April 2025

An independent taskforce *just* did a huge review of ADHD in England, and the conclusion was that it's "under-recognised, under-diagnosed and under-treated."
www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/re...

European reaction to the new American national strategy document

Rising racism blamed for collapse in number of foreign nurses coming to UK Number of overseas nurses and midwives registered between April and September was half that of a year ago

Rising racism and changes to immigration rules blamed for a collapse in the number of nurses and midwives coming to the UK, with knock on effects for provision of care and tackling waiting list. What a sad state of affairs www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Laughter good. Certainly better than banging your head on the bookshelf while hauling up the blind (which I have just done, by the way).

Needs must. In Sri Lanka, rice & curry with whisky is quite normal. Or arrack, of course, but don't know where my bottle is.

Zack Polanski, "Labour are a government of cowards because you won't tell people the truth about migration"

"Migration is a positive thing for our country"

"We need migration"

"We need fair and managed migration"

"And that's what will change this conversation"

*huge clap* #BBCQT

Get well soon.

Necessity is the mother of invention!

That was my thinking exactly.

But I couldn't find honey or whisky, so no toddy. But I did find sloe gin. Which must be good for the throat, surely? Only one way to find out... [2/2]

I had to crawl into the front room, wjere kitchen contents are stored while access improvements made, to microwave dahl & make toddy, for my sore throat [1/2]

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Call for papers on International Day of Persons with Disabilities - Special Issue on Disability and Health Services Research & Policy journals.sagepub.com/page/hsr/cal... guest editors include @tomshakespeare.bsky.social

Under WMD persona (Wheelchair of Mass Destruction), I will be ranting on 18th December. You will think & laugh whichever night you go

Had really good meeting with my 2 writing buddies. All published novels. We talked of forming Shakespeare, Quarmby & Beales for mutual support. SQB might do readings, advice or even publishing.

Steve Cropper, Legendary Guitarist for Booker T. & the MG’s, Otis Redding and the Blues Brothers, Dies at 84 Steve Cropper, guitarist for Booker T. & the MG's, Otis Redding, the Blues Brothers and many more, has died. He was 84.

One of the all-time greats - guitarist, songwriter, producer, icon. Rest easy, Steve. variety.com/2025/music/n...

YouTube video by 60s70sVintageRock Booker T. & The MG's - Time Is Tight (Live, 1970)

Play it, Steve youtu.be/nbBcXvKvB08?...

He played English Renaissance folk like Dowland, Gibbon, Farnaby etc. Quite wonderful.

Mahal Esfahani's harpsichord on stage at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre.

We are this close to Mahal Esfahani's hsrpsichord.

Celebrating 15 years of ICED | LSHTM Celebrating 15 years of ICED | LSHTM

Today, as we mark the international day of persons with disabilities #IDPD2025, we're also celebrating 15 years of the International Centre for Evidence in Disability at LSHTM.
Our co-directors, Hannah Kuper and Tom Shakespeare, reflect on this milestone
www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/cen...

Bus driver calls me "young man"(sadly, I'm probably older than him).

Morning! Happy International Day of People with Disabilities!

He's been working on progressive realization for nearly 20 years.

based on how often the naughty teens of major cities throw the rentable scooters directly into the river i've formed a theory that the many iron age swords and cauldrons found in lakes around europe that we've previously assumed were ceremonial and sacrificial in nature were in fact thrown by teens

Happy International Day of People with Disabilities!

Nevir shal Ich give thee up
Nevir shal Ich let thee doun
Nevir shal Ich runne arounde
and go from thee
Nevir shal Ich make thee to crye
Nevir shal Ich 'farewell' sigh
Nevir speke falsehood
And cause thee sorrowe

Photograph of John Lee Hooker with diagram of the evolution of the Blues. Black and white photograph. He’s wearing a suit and sitting at a table with a mug in front of him and notepad etc on table. Behind him is a chart diagram of the evolution of the Blues, connecting genres over time. Photograph by Clemens Kalischer, 1951.

John Lee Hooker with a diagram of the evolution of the Blues.

Thankfully, those with access to antiretrovirals no longer die. But many others do. Cutting USAID increased that number hugely.

The Secret History of Indian Science Fiction. Before Asimov, there was Rokeya.

Indian speculative fiction evolved through Bengali "kalpavigyan" and post-Independence "scientifiction." Today, as this piece shows, Indian SF is finding its voice anew—bridging caste, gender, and global imagination with universal storytelling.

By @gautambhatia88.bsky.social